Chapter 12: The Misdeeds of Hu Hai and Zhao Gao in Those Years (Part One)

Li Nian thanked respectfully, “My gratitude to Your Majesty!”

He was also eager to see how the First Emperor would react upon learning of Hu Hai and Zhao Gao’s deeds.

Gathering his thoughts, Li Nian said, “Before speaking further, this commoner wishes to ask Your Majesty a question: After Your Majesty’s departure to the heavens, which prince do you believe will inherit the great throne and ascend the throne?”

At this question, Meng Yi also turned his gaze sharply, thinking to himself that this man was truly bold. Such a question involved two matters that could anger the sovereign: speaking of the king’s death and the succession of the crown prince.

Under normal circumstances, would any minister dare ask the king so directly? Probably only if they thought the family genealogy was too thick!

But this man came from the future; there must be a reason for his question. Judging by the names he mentioned earlier when describing his origins, could it be that in the end, Prince Hu Hai ascended the throne?

This thought made Meng Yi’s heart tighten. Their Meng clan had pinned their hopes on Prince Fusu. Although the king had not formally appointed an heir, everyone knew his preference was for Fusu.

But if Hu Hai were to take the throne in the future, then what of Prince Fusu? And what would become of the Meng clan?

Thinking of this man’s insistence that he deliver that bamboo slip, Meng Yi harbored a bad suspicion…

If Meng Yi could think of this, then naturally Ying Zheng could as well. He said, “I will not conceal it from you. In my view, Prince Fusu is truly capable of inheriting the great throne.”

In truth, Ying Zheng was not entirely satisfied with Fusu, so he had never formally named him heir. But among his sons, Fusu was still the best choice. Most likely, the throne would eventually belong to Fusu.

This was Ying Zheng’s genuine thought, but now, hearing this man’s implication, his hopes seemed dashed; instead, Hu Hai had taken the throne.

Li Nian said, “Many thought so too, but in the end, it was Prince Hu Hai who ascended the throne.”

Ying Zheng frowned, “You mean Hu Hai used some means to seize the throne? And this involves Zhao Gao, Li Si, and others?”

Li Nian nodded, “Exactly! In the thirty-fifth year of Your Majesty’s reign, because of your punishment of sorcerers who violated the law, Prince Fusu submitted a memorial to counsel Your Majesty, but this enraged you. You ordered Prince Fusu to go to Shang Commandery to oversee General Meng Tian and assist in building the Great Wall to defend against the Xiongnu.”

“First Emperor?”

Ying Zheng’s sharp attention caught the use of the term “First Emperor.” He immediately realized this must be a title given to him later—was it from future people or something he had coined himself?

He thought it might be his own doing. When he received news of King Qi Jian’s capture and transfer to Xianyang, he had felt his achievements surpassed those of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors and decided to give himself a greater title—the Emperor!

Looking deeply at Li Nian, Ying Zheng became more convinced this man was from the future. The idea of calling himself “Emperor” had never been told to others, so this man must have learned it from historical records.

But why did he punish those sorcerers?

Sending Fusu to Shang Commandery was both a punishment and a chance for him to learn military affairs and grow close to Meng Tian, gaining the support of the Meng clan to prepare for succession.

So far, Ying Zheng saw no problem. So where was the issue?

Li Nian continued, “From Your Majesty’s perspective, this arrangement was probably not a big problem. Even if there were issues, they were minor. But this caused one consequence—Prince Fusu was distanced from you!”

“You are the ruler of Qin. Although Fusu is a prince, his power actually comes from you. If he is far from you, it means he is far from the center of Qin’s power, leaving an opportunity for others to seize.”

Ying Zheng’s eyes suddenly sharpened. He roughly understood. Fusu’s power derived from him, so naturally, he could strip Fusu of his princely status and power!

Usually, Fusu and he were both in Xianyang, close by, able to communicate whenever needed. Others would not dare openly harm Fusu.

But if Fusu was far away, unable to communicate directly and promptly, it gave others a chance to frame him—perhaps forging orders in his name to strip Fusu of his status or even force him to commit suicide.

Thinking of the latter, despite Ying Zheng’s strong control over his emotions, his expression darkened. The more he thought, the more he felt this was likely. Since Hu Hai conspired with Zhao Gao and Li Si to seize the throne, they would certainly seek to remove Fusu, the greatest thorn.

Anger welled within Ying Zheng—not only at their audacity but also at Fusu’s foolish loyalty. It was obvious those men forged his orders to force Fusu’s death. Otherwise, with Meng Tian’s army in the north, even if Hu Hai declared himself king, they could have defeated him.

From this man’s words, Hu Hai indeed ascended the throne unimpeded by Fusu. There was only one possibility—Fusu was dead!

“Foolish, rigid—how could I have such a blindly loyal son?”

Having pieced together the whole matter, Ying Zheng was both angry at Fusu’s blind loyalty—committing suicide at a forged order—and somewhat comforted by his filial devotion.

“In the thirty-seventh year of my reign, Your Majesty toured the realm again. In July, falling gravely ill at Shaqiu, you ordered Zhao Gao, Director of the Chariot Office, to draft a will for Prince Fusu. The will instructed Fusu to return to Xianyang to oversee the mourning and inherit the throne.”

“According to some future records, the will was sealed but not yet sent when Your Majesty passed away unexpectedly.”

“After Your Majesty’s death, Zhao Gao, Li Si, and Prince Hu Hai saw an opportunity. They believed that since the will was not yet delivered, they could alter it.”

“So they forged Your Majesty’s will, proclaiming Hu Hai as Crown Prince and falsified a will for Fusu listing crimes against him and General Meng Tian, ordering them to commit suicide!”

“With Your Majesty’s wisdom, you could have foreseen the result: Fusu and Meng Tian’s suicides, and Prince Hu Hai’s ascension to Emperor!”

Meng Yi listened in horror. His elder brother Meng Tian had died just like that?

No, his brother’s death was only the beginning. Others in the Meng clan likely suffered the same fate, including himself.

“No wonder this man wanted me to deliver that bamboo slip and trusted me so much, not fearing that I was a supporter of Prince Hu Hai…” Meng Yi thought silently, finally understanding everything.

With Fusu dead, those who supported him—the Meng clan—would naturally be purged. Moreover, having crossed Zhao Gao, if Zhao Gao caught any opportunity, wouldn’t he crush Meng Yi mercilessly?

His fate would likely be the same as his brother’s—death!

Li Nian was somewhat disappointed. After revealing all this, the First Emperor did not erupt in rage or immediately summon Hu Hai for punishment. But on reflection, who could prove his words true?

What if Li Nian was deliberately fabricating a plot to frame Prince Hu Hai, Zhao Gao, and Li Si?

The First Emperor’s calm and measured response was normal, showing that he was rational and would not be easily deceived by a few words.